HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-08-05 Bd Comm minutesItem Number: 4.a.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
August 5, 2025
Civil Service Commission: July 16
Attachments: Civil Service Commission: July 16
Minutes — Final
City of Iowa City Civil Service Commission
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 — 8:15 a.m.
City Manager's Conference Room
Members Present:
Members Absent:
Staff to the
Commission Present:
Other Parties Present:
Rick Wyss, Ashley Jennings, Eleanor Dilkes
none
Karen Jennings, Tracy Robinson
Fire Chief Scott Lyon, Police Chief Dustin Liston, Chris
O'Brien, Clint McFarland
Recommendation to Council (become effective only after separate Council action):
None.
Call to Order:
Wyss called the meeting to order at 8:15 a.m.
Certification of hiring list for Firefighter:
After a brief discussion, Dilkes moved and A. Jennings seconded to certify the list as
presented. Motion passed.
Certification of promotional list for Fire Marshal:
After a brief discussion, A. Jennings moved and Dilkes seconded to certify the list as
presented. Motion passed.
Update on H.F. 706 modifications to Iowa Code Chapter 21— Iowa's Open Meetings
Law:
K. Jennings provided a brief summary of the recent legislative update on Iowa's Open
Meetings Law including new training requirements.
Update on S.F. 311 requiring establishment by ordinance of a Civil Service
Commission of not less then 5 and not more than 7persons:
K. Jennings provided a brief update on recent changes to Chapter 400 including an
anticipated increase in the size of the Civil Service Commission.
Adiournment•
A. Jennings moved and Dilkes seconded to adjourn, motion passed, and the meeting was
adjourned at 8:3 5 a.m.
July 16, 2025
To: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council
RE: Civil Service Entrance Examination - Firefighter
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CITY OF IOWA CITY
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240- 1826
(319) 356-5000
(319) 356-5009 FAX
w%vw.icgov.org
We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission for Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the
following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Firefighter.
1. Emmanuel Fernandez
2. Hannah Podzorski
3. Seth Kennedy
4. Madelyn Cox
5. Ben Barrett
6. Seif El Deen Gaber
7. Chloe Mogensen
8. William Stecker
9. John Jepsen
10. Ian McBrearty
11. Guy Meyer
12. Noah Yetley
13. Jonathan Troll
14. Yicheng Xu
15. Amir Newell
16. Maeve Reynen
17. Jacob Gilmore
18. Kevin Washington
19. Aiden Rosenthal
20. Camden Glenn
21. Tyler White
22. Landen Akers
23. Cobie Siebrecht
24. Matthew Nost
25. William McFarden
26. Caleb Buckman
27. Tristan Hovind
28. Nikki Chacon
29. Zachary Slocum
30. Cade Chapman
31. Paige Sherwood
Iowa Cit�Y�v
'il Service Commission
`Rick Wyss,hair
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Eleanor Dilkes
ATTEST:
Kellie Grace, City Clerk
Total
Hispanic or
Latino
American
Indian Alaska
ve
Native
Asian
Black or African
American
Native Hawaiian
or Other Pacific
Islander
White
Two or More
Races
Undisclosed
Applications Received
187
Undisclosed
Female
19
1
1
16
1
Male
168
14
1
2
11
123
9
8
Written Test
114
Undisclosed
Female
12
1
11
Male
102
7
1
2
6
73
7
6
Physical Fitness*
78
Undisclosed
Female
11
11
Male
67
3
1
4
49
4
6
Interview—
45
Undisclosed
Female
7
7
Male
38
3
1
3
24
2
5
Certified Hiring List
31
Undisclosed
Female
5
5
Male
26
2
1
3
16
4
*eighty-five candidates qualified to participate in the physical fitness test by passing the written test, and seven candidates opted to not continue in the process.
**forty-eight candidates qualified to participate in an interview by passing both the written and physical fitness tests, and three candidates opted to not continue in the process.
July 16, 2025
To: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council
RE: Civil Service Promotional Examination — Battalion Chief - Fire Marshal
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CITY OF IOWA CITY
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826
(319) 356-5000
(319) 356-5009 FAX
www.icgov.org
We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission for Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the
following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Battalion Chief - Fire Marshal.
1. Axel Swanson
2. Branden Sobaski
Iowa City Civil Service Commission
Eleanor Dilkes
ATTEST:
Kellie Grace, City Clerk
Board/Commission: Civil Service Commission
Attendance Record
Last 12 months
(Meeting Date)
Name
Term
Expire
10/29/24 2/21 /25
4/21 /25
5/30/25 7/16/25
X X
Rick Wyss
4/3/28
_
X
X
X
I
Ashley Jennings
4/6/26
X
X
X
X
X
Eleanor Dilkes
4/1/29
---
---
X
X
X
I
Chi O boko
4/7/25
O/E
O/E
---
---
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = No Meeting
--- = Not a Member
Item Number: 4.b.
I, CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
August 5, 2025
Community Police Review Board: June 10 [See Recommendations]
Attachments: Community Police Review Board: June 10 [See Recommendations]
�-r.� CITY OF IOWA CITY
,tllfA
MEMORANDUM
Date: July 09, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Connie McCurdy, Community Police Review Board Staff
Re: Recommendation from Community Police Review Board
At their June 10, 2025 meeting the Community Police Review Board made the following rec-
ommendation(s) to the City Council:
(1) Accept request of extension of 50 days for CPRB complaint #24-09
(2) Accept CPRB complaint #25-03 summary dismissal
(3) Accept CPRB complaint #25-06 summary dismissal
Additional action [check one]
® No further action needed
❑ Board or Commission is requesting direction from City Council
❑ Agenda item will be prepared by staff for City Council action
CPRB — Final Minutes
June 10, 2025
Page 1
Community Police Review Board
Final Minutes — June 10, 2025
Call to Order: Staff McCurdy called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
Members Present: Jessica Hobart -Collis, David Schwindt, Maurine Braddock
Melissa Jensen, Colette Atkins
Members Absent: Saul Mekies
Staff Present: Staff Connie McCurdy, City Clerk Kellie Grace
First Asst. City Attorney Sue Dulek, Legal Counsel Patrick Ford
Others Present: Police Lt. Jeff Fink
Recommendations to City Council:
+ Accept request of extension of 50 days for CPRB complaint #24-09
• Accept CPRB complaint #25-03 summary dismissal
Accept CPRB complaint #25-06 summary dismissal
Appoint City Staff as temporary Chairperson:
Motion by Schwindt, seconded by Jensen to appoint City Staff McCurdy as temporary Chairperson.
Motion passed 510. Mekies was absent.
Nominations for Chairperson:
Braddock nominated Jensen for Chairperson.
Motion by Atkins, seconded by Schwindt to close nominations and appoint Jensen as the new Chairperson.
Motion passed 510. Mekies was absent.
Staff McCurdy noted the Chairperson will begin chairing at the July 08, 2025, meeting.
Nominations for Vice -Chairperson:
Braddock nominated Schwindt for Vice -Chairperson.
Motion by Braddock, seconded by Jensen to close nominations and appoint Schwindt as the new Vice -
Chairperson.
Motion passed 510. Mekies was absent.
Vice -Chair Schwindt took over the meeting.
CPRB — Final Minutes
June 10, 2025
Page 2
Consent Calendar:
• Draft minutes from the May 13, 2025, meeting
• ICPD Use of Force Report/Review — January 2025
• ICPD Use of Force Report/Review — February 2025
• ICPD Use of Force Report/Review — March 2025
• ICPD Policy #410 Involuntary Commitments
• ICPD Policy #803 Records
• ICPD Policy #804 Records Maintenance and Release
■ ICPD Policy #805 Protected Information
Motion by Jensen, seconded by Atkins to adopt the consent calendar as presented.
Motion passed 510. Mekies was absent.
Discussion of items on the Consent Calendar:
Board member Braddock asked questions about the Use of Force reports and the policies. She wanted to know
who reviews the reports and who writes the policies. Lt. Fink said the Police Chief, the Captains, and the Watch
Supervisors are the ones who review the Use of Force. Lt. Fink also mentioned that the policies are given to them
by Lexipol as a template, which are reviewed and updated accordingly.
Correspondence:
Motion by Jensen, seconded by Atkins to accept correspondence from Mary McCann included in the late
handouts.
Motion passed 510. Mekies was absent.
New Business:
Discussion of Senate File 311 and the future of the CPRB:
City Clerk Grace highlighted the parts of Senate File 311 that pertained to the Board and what the Board would
no longer be able to do after the effective date of August 16, 2025. Board member Braddock mentioned the idea
of creating a new board or committee that would help educate citizens on police practices as well as creating an
avenue for citizens to be heard to help promote communication and cooperation between citizens and police
officers. Board member Hobart -Collis and Lt. Fink spoke about mental health liaisons and Community Crisis and
their roll in assisting police officers on calls. Vice -Chair Schwindt mentioned the idea of creating an advisory
board where conversations would flow freely and not be subjected to an agenda. Board member Jensen suggested
creating a listening post for the public where they can express their concerns. The Board discussed updating the
Community Police Review Board's page on the City's website to explain the new legislation and what options
will be available after the legislation goes into effect.
Old Business:
None.
Public Comment of Items not on the A ends:
Mary McCann thanked the board for all that they do and mentioned the importance of public relations between
police and citizens.
CPRB — Final Minutes
June 10, 2025
Page 3
Board Information:
Board member Braddock wants to discuss police training on search warrants and the Electronic Document Filing
System for warrants.
Staff Information:
Staff McCurdy asked if the Board wanted to discuss any topics brought up in the email from Board member
Mekies at the July 08, 2025, meeting. Board member Braddock asked to have the topic of the frequent flyers
added to the July 8th agenda.
Future Meetings (subject to change):
+ July 08, 2025, 5:30 p.m. — Helling Conference Room
• August 12, 2025, 5:30 p.m. — Helling Conference Room
Atkins stated she will not be at the July 8th meeting.
Executive Session:
Motion by Jensen, seconded by Hobart -Collis, to adjourn to Executive Session based on Section 21.5(1)(a) of the
Code of Iowa to review or discuss records which are required or authorized by state or federal law to be kept
confidential or to be kept confidential as a condition for that government body's possession or continued receipt
of federal funds, and 22.7(11) personal information in confidential personnel records of public bodies including
but not limited to cities, boards of supervisors and school districts, and 22-7(5) police officer investigative reports,
except where disclosure is authorized elsewhere in the Code; and 22.7(18) Communications not required by law,
rule or procedure that are made to a government body or to any of its employees by identified persons outside of
government, to the extent that the government body receiving those communications from such persons outside of
government could reasonably believe that those persons would be discouraged from making them to that
government body if they were available for general public examination.
Open session adjourned: 6:50 p.m.
Return to Open Session:
Returned to open session: 7:38 p.m.
Motion by Atkins, seconded by Hobart -Collis to accept the letter of extension for complaint #24-09 as presented
and forward to City Council.
Motion carried 510. Mekies was absent.
Motion by Jensen, seconded by Braddock to accept CPRB report of summary dismissal for complaint #25-03 as
presented and forward to City Council.
Motion carried 510. Mekies was absent.
Motion by Atkins, seconded by Hobart -Collis to accept CPRB report of summary dismissal for complaint #25-06
as amended and forward to City Council.
Motion carried 510. Mekies was absent.
CPRB — Final Minutes
June 10, 2025
Page 4
Adiournment•
Motion by Atkins, seconded by Hobart -Collis to adjourn.
Meeting adjourned: 7:41 p.m.
Community Police Review Board
Attendance Record
Year 2024-2025
Name
Term
08/20/74
09/10/24
10/08/24
10/16/24
11/12/24
12/10/24
OIJ14/25
02/11/25
03/11/25
04/15/25
05/13/25
06/10/25
Expires
Forum
Colette
06/30/28
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
Atkins
Maurine
06/30/26
—
—
---
-
--
---
---
X
X
X
Braddock
Ricky
06/30/26
X
X
X
O/E
O/E
O/E
O/E
-
—
-
Downing
Jessica
Hobart-
06/30/26
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Collis
Melissa
06/30/25
X
O/E
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
Jensen
Jerri
06/30/27
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
O/E
X
MacConnell
Saul Mekies
06/30/25
X
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
David
06/30/28
O/E
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
Schwindt
Key:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = No Meeting
--- = Not a Member
COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD
A Board of the City of Iowa City
410 E Washington St
Iowa City IA 52240
(319)356-5041
June 11, 2025
Mayor Bruce Teague
410 E Washington St
Iowa City IA 52240
Dear Mayor and Council Members
As the CPRB Vice -Chair, I would like to request an extension to the Board's deadline to file its
Public Report for Complaint #24-09. Paragraph 8-8-7B(9) of the enabling local ordinance
provides that the City Council may grant a request for an extension upon a showing of good
cause. The Board's good cause in support of this request is shown as follows:
a Due to timelines and scheduling and additional investigation requested
Public Report presently due June 26, 2025
50-day Extension request — Report would be due on August 15, 2025.
Sincerely,
36k sow�
David Schwindt, Vice -Chair
Community Police Review Board
cc: City Attorney's office
CPRB
CPRB REPORT OF SUMMARY DISMISSAL TO THE CITY COUNCIL
Re: Investigation of CPRB Complaint #25-03
CPRB Complaint #25-03, filed on April 18, 2025, was summarily dismissed as required
by the City Code, Section 8-8-3(D): All complaints to the board must be filed with the
City Clerk within one hundred eighty (180) days of the alleged misconduct.
Dated: June 10, 2025
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CPRB REPORT OF SUMMARY DISMISSAL TO THE CITY COUNCIL
Re: Investiaation of CPRB Complaint #25-06
CPRB Complaint #25-06, filed on May 29, 2025, was summarily dismissed as required
by the City Code, Section 8-8-3(A). The complaint does not involve police officers from
the Iowa City Police Department.
Section 8-8-3(A): A "complaint to the board" is an allegation of misconduct lodged
against a sworn police officer ("police officer" or "officer") employed by the Iowa City
Police Department, where the complained of activity occurred while the officer was
acting in the capacity of a sworn police officer.
Dated: June 10, 2025
Item Number: 4.c.
a
CITY OF IOWA CITY
"QR T-4 COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
August 5, 2025
Historic Preservation Commission: June 12
Attachments: Historic Preservation Commission: June 12
MINUTES APPROVED
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
JUNE 12, 2025 —5:30 PM —FORMAL MEETING
E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Margaret Beck, Carl Brown, Kevin Burford, Ryan Russell, Jordan
Sellergren, Deanna Thomann, Nicole Villanueva, Christina Welu-Reynolds
MEMBERS ABSENT: Andrew Lewis, Frank Wagner
STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow, Anne Russett
OTHERS PRESENT: Julie Arling, Bob Hardy, Miranda Johnson, Noah Johnson
CALL TO ORDER:
Sellergren called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
RTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS:
HPC24-0077: 416 Reno Street -Local Historic Landmark (new garage construction):
Russett stated this property is a local historic landmark located between Fairchild Street and Davenport
Street. The house was built in 1898 as a two-story Queen Anne with free classic detailing and
patterned masonry. The house has a main hipped roof with projecting gables to the two sides, north
and south, with the similar gambled wall dormer on the front fagade. The house is brick with the stone
foundation, and there's a full front porch, which has slender classical columns on stone piers.
The request tonight is for the Commission to approve a new garage at this location. Regarding the
background of this application, in August 2023 the owner did apply for a building permit for the garage,
and the permit was issued prior to the historic review being approved. A year later, in August 2024 an
application was submitted for historic review for the garage but at that time the application was
incomplete because staff did not have drawings for the garage elevations. Therefore, staff notified the
applicant of that. In September the applicant provided drawings, but what was provided did not reflect
what was on the ground and built so staff requested drawings of what was built. Then, in April 2025 the
owner reached out to staff and noted that historic approval for the garage was still needed, and staff
again explained that the application was incomplete so on May 7 of this year the owner did provide that
material and the application was complete and now before the Commission. Russett added one last
detail, the property was sold last week so there is now a new owner.
Russett reiterated the project is the construction of a new front gable two car garage with two single car
overhead doors, lap siding and shingle siding in the gable, and a passage door to the south. The siding
is LP Smart Side, and the door is a fiberglass door. The overhead doors are carriage house doors with
composite overlay and a band of windows at the top. Russett shared a photograph of the northern
facade of the building noting that the trim and the siding has a fake wood grain. She then shared a
photo of the southern facade with the passage door shown.
In terms of the guidelines, there are recommendations related to doors and siding including adding trim
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 12, 2025
Page 2 of 11
to garage door openings, installing two single car doors instead of one single double garage door,
which the new garage does have two single car doors, substituting a material in place of wood siding
only if the substitute material retains the appearance and function of wood. In terms of site and
landscaping guidelines, Russett stated the guidelines recommend that the parking be provided behind
the primary structure, which in this case it does however, there's no alley access so the access is from
Reno Street. In terms of windows the guidelines state windows on out buildings should be relatively
small and rectangular or square. The guidelines related to wood note that fiber cement board is an
approvable substitute, but that there should be no simulated wood grain. On new outbuildings the
guidelines recommend placing new outbuildings, including garages, to the rear of the primary building,
which is the case with this garage, and outbuildings should reflect the style of the primary structure. The
guidelines note that carriage style doors are appropriate for some properties and again, installing single
car garage doors and incorporating windows in outbuildings.
Russett stated with this garage there are some things that comply and others that don't comply with the
guidelines. Regarding the items that don't directly align with the guidelines, first, garages should reflect
the style of the primary structure. She noted the gable roof is acceptable here however, the slope
doesn't reflect that of the house, it's much lower and it appears that there is shingle siding in the front
gable end of the garage, but nothing like that exists on the historic portion of the house. The siding is
LP Smart Side siding with a fake wood grain texture and while LP Smart siding is an acceptable
material to use, but it should be smooth because historic lap siding never had an unfinished texture.
Doors should be fiberglass, which it is in this case, and typically they would have a two panel door with
a half-light and be trimmed to match the historic trim. New outbuildings should have windows, and this
garage has no windows, additionally, the trim also has a fake wood grain. Russett did note that the
location of the garage, the size, and the overhead doors all comply with the guidelines.
The Commission does have the ability to approve projects that don't directly align with the guidelines
through an exception if the intent of the guidelines are met and staff is recommending approval of the
Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 416 Reno Street as presented in the staff report through
an exception to the guidelines for a new garage. Although there are aspects of the project that do not
meet the guidelines, the intent of the guidelines is met. The garage does not substantially alter or
destroy the defining architectural character of the site or neighborhood because the location of the
garage, its general size, and the overhead doors all comply with the guidelines.
Welu-Reynolds asked if this was replacing an old garage that was torn down. Russett replied there
was no garage previously on the site, or at least no evidence that there was ever a garage.
Burford asked if the paint scheme is the same as the house. Russett stated the color looks like it's the
same as the trim.
Brown noted they're talking about essentially ancient history at this point, but when the application was
submitted for the garage and it got the building permit, was that a mistake on the City's part to issue the
building permit before historic review had been completed. Russett confirmed that was a mistake.
Welu-Reynolds asked if there was any discussion during that permit process about this needing to go
to historic preservation. Russett explained there were conversations prior to this and the fact that it was
a local historic landmark, and historic review would be required for exterior work.
Julie Arling (previous owner 416 Reno Street) stated the garage was their first project and they quickly
learned it's very overwhelming being under both local and national domain, but thought they were doing
what was right. When they first bought the house, they met with Bristow to go over the process and she
was very gracious and spelled things out about it. Arling noted it was just rather confusing at first, but
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 12, 2025
Page 3 of 11
they thought they were doing the right thing and had no ill intent whatsoever. They've done a lot of
wonderful things in the two and a half years that they lived there. The shrubbery was really overgrown,
the patio was caving in, the porches were rotting, they invested a lot of blood, sweat, tears and money
in this and so there was no ill intent at all. Arling wanted to point out there are shingles in the back at
the gable, kind of a scalloped shape, so that was one thing they asked about but to be honest she
doesn't remember if she asked Claire Jones at the National Trust in Virginia, or Bristow about wanting
to emulate that, but they were told not to try to emulate it too close, but to historically match it. Arling
stated they felt they were dissuaded from using the same shingle scalloping. She also stated the siding
is all wood and the trim is wood, they don't have any metal on it.
Bob Hardy (previous owner 416 Reno Street) added the house had been abandoned for about two and
a half years prior to their buying it and it was infested with squirrels, the two porches were rotted out,
there was no garage, and the back patio was falling in. They had Amish guys come in to replace both
porches exactly to historical standards. Regarding the garage, Bristow had told him 5, 10, 15, 20 times
to apply and they met with Bristow 5-6-7 times, so he thought they were in total compliance. At no point
in time did he have any idea that he really needed to apply for historical review because he had been in
her office multiple times going over all the things that need to be done, lap siding, the type of shingles,
the type of doors. The doors that they bought and installed were $7,200 and have the wood grain finish
on them. Bristow had mentioned they needed lap siding, so he went to Menards and picked out the lap
siding that he thought really matched the grain on the doors. When they talked to Bristow about the
porches she had mentioned there's a couple open items on the garage, but Hardy stated they thought
there was just a couple minor open items on the garage. As Arling mentioned, there was no intent
whatsoever to go around historical standards at all. The shingles on the roof of the garage match the
shingles on the house, the siding is actual engineered wood siding and there's no metal on the
structure at all. The garage is all wood, all the trim is wood, the garage door and the wooden door are
all in compliance. Hardy reiterated they took a home that was failing down, been abandoned for two
and a half years and turned it into a show place and now found this wonderful lady who purchased it.
He stated they were great stewards, took great care of it and it looks enormously better than it did two
and a half years ago. Hardy stated they are hoping the Board will understand there was no intent here,
if they had known it was supposed to be smooth siding they would have put smooth siding on it.
Welu-Reynolds asked for clarification on the siding, is it wood siding. Bristow replied it's a
manufactured wood siding.
Miranda Johnson (416 Reno Street) and her husband are the new owners of this house and it was just
at the closing on June 6, last Friday, that they heard about this situation for the first time, so they were
not aware of any pending items. Johnson stated they were aware of it being a historical landmark and
that was all explained very well, and they met with the national person, Claire Jones, and she has now
since talked to Russett, who was very helpful and sent over resources. Johnson stated she
understands the process now but is feeling very anxious because she came into this situation blind and
feels a little deceived. She doesn't know if that was intentional or not, but that is not really the point, the
reality is they're the new owners and are excited to take care of the home and do things in the right
way. She is just hoping that they don't have to redo work on this garage as the new owners, because
they were not aware of any of the issues. Johnson added when they did get communication on the
garage on June 6, it was through realtors, she has never spoken directly with the previous owners.
Through the realtors what was communicated to them was that worst case scenario was that bushes
would have to be put in to cover something which doesn't sound like a big deal, but then she read
through the agenda for today's meeting and that's when the anxiety came in because that is not what
was told to them.
Thomann noted when she saw this house for sale was there a component of needing to have public
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 12, 2025
Page 4 of 11
events at this house. Johnson replied yes, they told them that once a year they could do an open
house, or other options, but to make it open to the public for a couple of hours.
Arling stated they didn't find out about all of this until the very end either and was hoping it was going to
be resolved prior to close but when this meeting was a week later that's when they found out that it was
not going to be resolved. In talking to Claire Jones with the National Trust she had suggested mitigating
it with some plantings on the street facing side which is confusing because it's cement. So she thought
since the part that's the siding that is exposed is the north side that is what she had suggested. The
realtor had asked her to write up a note to the new owners that the north side would need plantings and
it would probably equate to approximately four shrubs or some type of plantings, and Arling and Hardy
would assume responsibility for that. Regarding the open house, yes one of the stipulations, and it's
one of the wonderful things being Carl Klaus' house, at one time the founder of the nonfiction writers
workshop here at the university, it was their intent to have that open house, or to invite writers for a
dinner or something, and then to celebrate and for them to see his office and his workshop up on the
attic level. The house really needed a lot of work so they were not at the point of opening it up to the
public and it wasn't safe for people to come to because they had to block off the stairs at one point
because of the rotting wood.
Russett stated to clarify for the Commission this site is a National Trust site and also a local historic
landmark. So there's the local regulations that the Commission obviously enforces and then the owners
are also working with a woman, Claire Jones, at the National Trust, because they also have to review
these projects, but they're two separate processes.
Arling noted therein lies the challenge and it's a learning curve. The garage was their first project and
the National Trust also normally reviews a new garage build but that didn't happen. Claire Jones
normally comes out once a year to visit but it didn't happen.
Thomann asked if the new owner liked the garage. Johnson replied she thinks it looks okay. She just
wants to follow the rules, but didn't have a choice in the matter and is hoping that she doesn't get
penalized.
MOTION: Thomann moves to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 416
Reno Street, as presented in the staff report through an exception to the guidelines for a new
garage proposal that meets the intent of the guidelines. Although there are aspects of the
project that do not meet the guidelines, the intent of the guidelines is met. The garage does not
substantially alter or destroy the defining architectural character of the site or neighborhood,
because the location of the garage, its general size and the overhead doors all comply with the
guidelines
Villanueva seconded the motion.
Burford stated a garage in an 1898 house is kind of an anomaly in the first place, since a car would be
pretty exotic thing at that time, he feels the construction and design of the garage was well intentioned
and in the understood spirit of historic construction, and with the words of Lady Macbeth what's done
cannot be undone. He noted that's not always true but would speak in favor of the exemption.
Sellergren noted there's a gazebo behind the garage and is curious how old the gazebo is and is it
modern. Russett replied yes, the gazebo is only 30 years old.
Welu-Reynolds agrees with what Burford said that there were no garages at the time the house was
built so there was nothing there to begin with. It is behind the house and it complies, in spirit.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 12, 2025
Page 5 of 11
Thomann agrees there are good intentions there, the wood grain does bother her but it's so far from the
sidewalk it's probably not really noticeable, the lack of windows also bothers her because historic
structures usually have quite a few windows, but the reason she was asking about this public aspect of
the house is because there was a mention of maybe wanting to keep some privacy within the garage
and taking those windows out does give more privacy.
Brown feels like in general there's a lot of process frustration with this one in that the City approved
something they should not have approved. Additionally, often part of the conversation here is about
precedent, and what precedent the Commission is setting with exceptions and if they ignore
conversations long enough and just do it and it's going to be okay because it's built is not a precedent
he wants to set.
Sellergren feels there's different degrees of tolerance when it comes to setting and breaking precedent,
and she thinks in the case of an outstanding structure, that doesn't actually change the historic
structure.
Brown wonders then can future applicants come and say the Commission approved this it will be
harder for the Commission to say no to future exceptions.
Beck noted situation mistakes are made in the permitting process, and they have a track record of
continuing to interact with historic preservation the way those former owners have then she supposes
they can ask for an exception on those grounds, but this does seem to be a somewhat unusual case.
Russell noted they were told many, many times to apply and they didn't right. He stated he will vote for
yes for this because it's what the staff wants.
Brown will end up voting in favor of this because it's a complete disaster of a situation and has
sympathy for the new owner who purchased this home without knowing all the details and that's
terrible. It's a frustrating situation and there's culpability for the City for having approved the thing in the
first place.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0.
HPC25-0021: 514 Oakland Avenue - Longfellow Historic District [rear window to door alteration]-
Russett stated this home is in the Longfellow Historic District and shared a map of the district. The
house is a Dutch Colonial Revival home which was constructed around 1914, it's a one and a half story
home with a gambrel roof, the open porches have been enclosed in the front and aluminum siding was
installed in the 1980s. The owner is requesting to alter a rear window and install doors to access a new
deck. She noted the deck has been approved by staff already.
The guidelines used for this review relate to doors and windows. One is that new door openings are to
be trimmed to match other doors, substituting material in place of wood for doors is allowed if it's
approved by the Historic Preservation Commission. Russett explained in this case they are requesting
fiberglass, which the Commission has approved in the past. In terms of windows, if an opening of a
window is to be relocated it should not detract from the overall window pattern. In staffs review the
proposed alteration to the rear of the home does meet the guidelines. The proposed door is a full light
fiberglass door and it will retain the head height and width of the existing windows. Additionally, the
change to the rear of the house will have minimal impacts on the historic character because it's not
visible from the street and it will allow access to the deck from the inside of the home, creating a more
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 12, 2025
Page 6 of 11
usable outdoor living space for the owners.
Staff does recommend approval of a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 514 Oakland
Avenue, as presented in the application.
Noah Johnson (514 Oakland Avenue) added that currently to reach the backyard, one has to exit out
the side door, go down some steps, and open a gate to get in. The fence does enclose the backyard so
this was also a way to make it so they would have a direct way to let their dog in and out.
MOTION: Brown recommends approval or certificate of appropriateness for the project of 514
Oakland Avenue, as presented in the application. Villanueva seconded the motion.
Burford noted it sounds like a pragmatic, functional use and quite reasonable.
Sellergren added it's the back of the house which looks like it needs a door.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0.
Section 106 Review - Hwv 6 Bridge at the Iowa River:
Bristow explained they are introducing the this Section 106 project to the Commission to let them know
about the process and to also initiate conversation about this particular project. This is regarding the
Hwy 6 bridge over the Iowa River, and as part of a historic bridge study that was done in 2011, it was
determined that this bridge, along with many others in the state, were eligible for listing in the National
Register of Historic Places. They do this type of review with all types of structures, it's not always pretty
buildings. This bridge was built in 1956. Bristow stated what happens with Section 106 is when a
federal agency has a project that will impact a structure, they go through a review process, and the first
part of the process is will this project have an impact on a structure. Then they determine whether or
not that structure is historic, and through the definitions it's either listed in the National Register or
eligible. If it is historic, then they go through a process to determine whether or not the project will have
an adverse effect on that property, basically meaning will it impact the historic integrity of the property.
The DOT website talks about the bridge, the year it was built (1956 or 1958) and they talk about the
type of bridge that it is. As they go through their process, the Federal Highway Administration also has
specific guidelines about how to proceed and evaluate this bridge and project based on those
guidelines.
The first guideline would be to do nothing, which basically means that they would maybe repair the
bridge in a way where they're not permanently changing anything. In this case, doing that kind of work
would not solve the problem and the bridge needs repair so doing nothing is not an option. Some of the
issues in regard to that are the fact that the surface had been replaced in 1979 and 2012 and each of
those has reached the end of their life. The deck itself is thin and cracking, there's spalling the surface
and actually underneath exposing metal that then rusts and deteriorates. There's also concerns about
some girder cover plates, and part of the issue is the fact that since the bridge has been in service for
68 years, some of those elements have also reached the end of their structural life. Where the bridge
meets the water and floating debris, there's been scouring, which basically undercuts some of the piers
and chips away at them.
The next option is build a new structure at a different location, bypassing the existing bridge. That
would then make the bridge into maybe a pedestrian bridge or something like that but they would build
another bridge. However, if they were to do that there are issues with grade changes and with
impacting culverts. There is also a sidewalk that goes under the bridge that would be impacted as well
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 12, 2025
Page 7 of 11
as some of the neighboring properties. Also as part of this option is the economical discussion about
maintaining that pedestrian bridge as well as constructing a new bridge and so it was determined that it
was not feasible to do that either.
The third option is rehabilitation and repair to make sure the bridge will last another 50 years. Bristow
noted part of the issue with a rehab on a bridge is that nothing's going to be grandfathered in. There are
sidewalk width requirements, there are width of approaches to the bridge and things like that which
would all have to be brought up to the new bridge design guidelines if a rehabilitation took place. Also in
the DOT report they talk about the condition index, it's less than 50, which means it's in only fair
condition and because it's part of the national highway system, all of these things are negatives for its
condition. The bearing piles, some of them are creosote coated wood because that's what they used
years ago and they have a 20 ton bearing point value, where 90 ton is the current level. A rehab
typically has a 20 to 30 year service life, and the rehab deck and everything would outlast the structure
underneath, so that wouldn't be logical. Bristow noted in the way that the bridge was built, the interior
beams, under the middle of the span or the middle of the roadway, are bigger than the beams on the
outside, under the sidewalks. That's probably because at the time they just didn't need as much
structure on the outside but now they would need to make a wider road bed with a wider approach, with
wider sidewalks, and those small beams would be considered undersized for the road that would then
go over them, and they would have to put new outer beams that would be as big as the others and that
would impact the historic character of the bridge and that structure would be covered and modified. So
it was the DOT's opinion that it is not possible to do a rehabilitation and maintain the historic integrity of
the bridge. In the report they also talked about how the width of the channel and how it is also
undermining some of the structure so they would like to actually make the bridge longer, so it spanned
further, so as the channel widened it wouldn't be impacted.
To recap, Bristow stated they have gone through this process and determined that, yes, they're going
to have an impact on a bridge that is historic and listed in the National Register, and because it's now
going to be a demolition it is definitely an adverse effect. Staff concurs with that opinion, but the
Commission needs to be considered a consulting party because Iowa City is the certified local
government in which the bridge exists. The State Historic Preservation Office is the group that takes
charge of this, and they are the ones who actually respond to the DOT, and they also agreed with all of
this process and the eventual determination. What that means is that the DOT must mitigate for the
loss of the historic structure. Bristow explained that one example of this happening once before in the
community was after all of the flooding which resulted in the destruction of the Saban School in the
South District. With that FEMA was involved and it resulted in that building needing to come down and
they mitigated the loss of that building by having that entire neighborhood surveyed so that they could
determine if there were other properties that were eligible for the National Register and did come up
with a small district that they started to try to get listed but then paused on that.
Next steps include that the State Historic Preservation Office, the DOT and anyone else involved in the
project will enter into a memorandum of agreement on how the DOT will mitigate the loss. Iowa City is
considered a consulting party and will be signatories on that memorandum of agreement and what the
mitigation is.
Bristow is not sure how they come up with a scope, there are huge scope projects and small scope
projects based on how the eventual dollar amount is determined. Generally, when a community has
this coming up they look to their preservation plan and what are the goals for the community. Staff will
need someone from this Commission to be involved, likely it will be Lewis as chair, but he is not back
until July, so if anyone else felt like they were interested, to be the alternate person, that would be help.
They will eventually meet with the DOT and State Historic Preservation Office at the site to look at the
bridge and have conversations about it.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 12, 2025
Page 8 of 11
Bristow stated if a historic house had to come down because of some federal project, they would
maybe so some documentation of it and public education but with a bridge, it's pretty well documented
and not spectacular so as far as what they would want for a mitigation for a bridge like this might be a
survey of an adjacent area or related structures, but it's not an historic area of town either. Maybe they
can do a survey of a different area in town.
Sellergren suggested the Kirkwood Avenue area as that is on the work plan. Bristow stated a concern
with the Kirkwood Avenue neighborhood is that they have not even done a reconnaissance survey of
that neighborhood and it's gigantic, but it is one of the things that they will talk to the State about.
Bristow stated all the bridges had been studied in 2011 and there's actually a current study going on
right now for the more modern bridges as well. She thought about the airport as it is nearby had been
studied at one point in time, but it was done so long ago, so maybe a study of the airport because at
one point it was considered National Register eligible and its at least transportation based, even though
it's not related to the DOT.
Bristow also noted the preservation plan and its goals was updated in 2008 so it's time to update it
again so maybe updating the preservation plan is something that this project could help with. Another
goal might be identifying historic resources of the past and there's objectives and neighborhood
strategies. She was at the Preserve Iowa Summit last week and Muscatine has done a really good job
at keeping their preservation plan updated, and have done their plan so that it can help guide them in
things like this, they have come up with a list of what are the important topics or areas of research for
their community, for example one was fruit and vegetable sellers. They listed different specific things
that were part of the history of that city that they knew they wanted to investigate more over time and so
when a project like this comes up, or if an owner suggests something, or the commission suggests
something, they figure out if it will fit within one of their categories and then they start checking off those
things that they want to do. Bristow would also suggest that this Commission start gearing up for trying
to figure out how to get a preservation plan update, especially since the current one is from 2008 and
there are a lot of goals in it that have been accomplished, but also a lot that are not even in the
trajectory anymore.
Beck volunteered to help with this project scope, as a backup for Lewis.
Welu-Reynolds stated relating to transportation there was some talk a couple of years ago about doing
some kind of plaque identifying where the railroad tracks were over in the Jefferson Street area or
something like that. Bristow stated that doesn't seem big enough for this project scope.
Thomann was curious about mitigation, would they ever just give a city a lump sum of money and say
go spend it on something that's historic. Bristow replied, no, because part of it is that the agency gets it
accomplished, if there's a survey it goes to the agency who submits it to the State Historic Preservation
Office, Iowa City would be reading it and reviewing it over time as one of the signatories but it's not like
a grant where they're going to go hire the people and set all of the terms.
Thomann was thinking about projects like the park along the railroad tracks they've talked about, Oak
Grove, and the Hispanic historical significance of that. Also, the house sitting by the waterworks park,
maybe those are options.
Sellergren noted that the Montgomery Butler House is in a good location and could be a little visitor
center.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 12, 2025
Page 9 of 11
REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF:
Certificate of No Material Effect -Chair and Staff review:
HPC25-0026: 604 E._lowa Avenue- Local Historic Landmark (replacement of rear deck, repair of
deteriorated sidinci and trim. and repair of deteriorated balcony railings):
Bristow stated there is a modern garage and a deck at this house and they're replacing the deck, the
railing, there's some deteriorated trim.
HPC25-0029: 748 Oakland Avenue - Longfellow Historic District [demolition and replacement of brick
front porch floor]:
This house is from the 1950s, and it has an original brick porch floor that is sagged and pulling away
from the house. There likely isn't sufficient structure under this porch floor so it's being replaced.
HPC25-0031: 115 South Dubuque Street - Local Historic Landmark (brick repair and replacement);
115 South Dubuque Street and 111 South Dubuque Street are under single ownership and both local
landmarks. 115 has a storefront painted white now and is the oldest commercial building in town. It's
the 1856 Franklin Printing house, and so it is National Register and local landmark. On both buildings
there's some brick work that needs to be done as the brick is cracked and pushed in and all of that's
going to be taken out and put back. Any new brick used will match.
HPC25-0033: 602 Rundell Street - Longfellow Historic District (window repair and replacement):
This house will have the windows repaired. Most of the deterioration was from trim outside, but there's
also some damage in the jam and where the jam and sill meet.
Minor Review - Staff Review:
HPC25-0022: 514 Oakland Avenue - Longfellow Historic District (new rear deck, asphalt shingle
replacement ongarage):
Bristow stated this is the other half of the project that was approved earlier. There will be a new rear
deck and then they were also putting new shingles on the garage roof.
HPC25-0027- 1029 E Court Street- Longfellow Historic District (asphalt shingle replacement):
This house has changed significantly through probably a 1930s remodel to make it look like a colonial
revival, but it had an interesting wrap around porch. This project is for new shingles.
HPC25-0029:: 41.6_Reno Street- Local Historic Landmark [asphalt shingle replacement]:
Bristow stated this is the approval for the shingles for the Reno Street house.
HPC25-0032: 119 N Gilbert Street - Jefferson Street Historic District (asphalt shingle replacement):
This house will also have shingle replacement.
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR MAY 8. 2025:
MOTION: Thomann moves to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's
May 8, 2026, meeting. Beck seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0.
COMMISSION DISCUSSION:
Outgoing Commissioners Farewell: Bristow noted two commissioners are leaving, one of their positions
is filled and one is not and thanked Welu-Reynolds and Sellergren for all their hard work over the years.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
June 12, 2025
Page 10 of 11
ADJOURNMENT:
Welu-Reynolds moved to adjourn the meeting. Burford seconded. The motion carried on a vote
of 8-0.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:42 pm.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD
2024-2025
NAME
TERM
EXP.
7/11
8/8
9/12 10/10 11 /14
12/12
1 /9
2/13 3/13
4/10
5/8
6/12
BECK,
6/30/27
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
MARGARET
BROWN,
6/30/26
O/E
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
O/E
X
CARL
BURFORD,
6/30/27
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
KEVI N
LEWIS, 16/30/26
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
ANDREW
RUSSELL,
6/30/27 O/E
X
X
O/E
X
O/E
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
RYAN
SELLERGREN, 6/30/25
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
JORDAN
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
THOMANNN,
i6/30/26
DEANNA
VILLANUEVA,
NICOLE
6/30/25
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
O/E
X
X
X
X
WAGNER,
FRANK
6/30/26
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
O/E
X
O/E
WELU-
6/30/25
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
REYNOLDS,
CHRISTINA
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
O/E= Absent/Excused
--- = Not a member
Item Number: 4.d.
I, CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
August 5, 2025
Housing & Community Development Commission: June 16 [See Recommendations]
Attachments: Housing & Community Development Commission: June 16 [See
Recommendations]
r
��_..® CITY OF IOWA CITY
MEMORANDUM
Date: July 22, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Brianna Thul, Community Development Planner
Re: Recommendations from Housing and Community Development Commission
At their June 16, 2025 meeting, the Housing and Community Development Commission made
the following recommendations to the City Council:
• By a vote of 6-0, the Commission recommends approval of the substantial amendment
to City Steps 2030, which includes the FY26 Annual Action Plan.
• By a vote of 6-0, the Commission recommends approval of the substantial amendment
to the Citizen Participation Plan
Additional action (check one)
No further action needed
_ Board or Commission is requesting Council direction
X Agenda item will be prepared by staff for Council action
(approved by Council at the July 8, 2025 meeting)
MINUTES
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
JUNE 16, 2025 — 6:30 PM
FORMAL MEETING
E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
FINAL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Horacio Borgen, Maryann Dennis, Amos Kiche, George Kivarkis (via
zoom), Karol Krotz, Kyle Vogel
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
STAFF PRESENT: Brianna Thul
OTHERS PRESENT: None
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
Dennis moved to recommend approval of the substantial amendment to City Steps 2030 which includes
the FY26 Annual Action Plan to City Council. Krotz seconded the motion and a vote was taken and the
motion passed 6-0.
Dennis moved to recommend approval of the substantial amendment to the Citizen Participation Plan to
City Council. Kiche seconded the motion, a vote was taken and it passed 6-0.
CALL MEETING TO ORDER:
Vogel called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM.
CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: MAY 19, 2025:
Krotz moved to approve the minutes of May 19, 2025. Kiche seconded the motion. A vote was taken
and the minutes were approved 5-0 (Borgen not present for vote).
PUBLIC COMMENT FOR TOPICS NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
REVIEW AND CONSIDER RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL ON APPROVAL OF THE
SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT TO CITY STEPS 2030 WHICH INCLUDES THE FY26 ANNUAL
ACTION PLAN:
Thul explained the five-year City Steps 2030 plan sets the goals and strategies for what Iowa City is going
to do in this period. The Annual Action Plan says what specific activities they're going to undertake that
year to work towards the goals. City Steps 2030 was approved in January. The first year of the planning
period is a little unique in that the Annual Action Plan is technically a part of the City's five-year plan. In
years two through five, the Commission will see the Action Plan come to them as a separate document.
She explained that because the year one Action Plan is part of City Steps, this is technically called an
amendment. The Annual Action Plan shows the programming of the HUD funds into the specific activities
that will be done in FY26. The amendment includes updates to the document to be consistent with final
award amounts, it incorporates the Annual Action Plan as mentioned, and it ensures consistency with a
lot of rapidly changing regulations. As an example, Thul noted one thing that has changed is HUD has
Housing and Community Development Commission
June 16, 2025
Page 2 of 5
eliminated the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing requirement to do an Analysis of Impediments study.
There were portions of that study that were incorporated into City Steps and that's no longer a
requirement. Therefore, staff deleted some of that language just to be consistent with some of the new
regulations. Thul stated the structure of these planning documents are very prescribed by HUD and
typically the Commission is most interested in the specific projects that the City is going to undertake that
are listed in a summary located in the appendix. She continued that dollars programmed in this plan will
fund the different City programs such as homeowner rehab, a new pilot rental rehab program, the City's
down payment assistance program, and tenant based rental assistance. It will also support local nonprofit
agencies through the CDBG portion that goes to Aid to Agencies and through Community Housing
Development Organizations, which are special nonprofits that can undertake housing activities. The City
is required to set a percentage of the HOME funds aside for CHDO activities. The City will also do a
competitive funding round. Thul noted that the Commission will see that funding round coming soon.
Thul stated there are no public comments to date on this amendment and staff is requesting HCDC
recommend approval of this amendment to City Council. City Council will hold a public meeting on July 8
where they will accept public comments and consider approval of the amendment. If the amendment is
approved, staff would submit the document to HUD.
Dennis asked how much funding is going to be available for the competitive round. Thul replied that for
competitive rental acquisition there will be about $214,000 and then for public facility projects there will be
$150,000. Thul reminded Commissioners that they have parsed down the types of activities that will be
funded through the competitive round.
Krotz asked if they are targeting that $214,000 for one project. Thul responded that the target
beneficiaries do say one rental unit and one public facilities for the funds. However, let's say the
Commission gets two public facility project applications and they want to recommend funding to both at
half of the available amount each, they certainly do that. It's okay to exceed the goals set, but they try to
set reasonable goals.
Vogel asked what the definition of affordable housing under the affordable housing section is. Thul
replied that project requirements vary type of activity and the funding. If it's a HOME activity, like the down
payment assistance program, an applicant can be up to 80% of area median income, but then there are
specific underwriting requirements. For example, the monthly housing payment including insurance can
only be 30% of the applicant's gross income. If it was a rental project, HUD also restricts the amount of
rent that the landlord can charge to the tenant. For HOME funds, HUD sets the maximum rents for the
area and then there's a utility allowance. The maximum rent minus the utility allowance is the rent that
they can charge to the tenant. A landlord can charge less, but the maximum rent they can charge to the
tenant is restricted.
Dennis asked about HOME funds for rentals and if there are different income levels based on the number
of units. Thul confirmed yes HOME requires that they maintain a unit mix, but for the most part they
require income under 60% for rentals. A landlord would need to make sure that the tenant is under 60%
of the area median income for a HOME assisted unit. Many times with HOME projects, the limit might be
60% of area median income, but tenants served are well below that limit. Thul explained that the rent and
income limits for these programs are set annually by HUD.
Dennis moved to recommend approval of the substantial amendment to City Steps 2030 which
includes the FY26 Annual Action Plan to City Council. Krotz seconded the motion and a vote was
taken and the motion passed 6-0.
REVIEW AND CONSIDER RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL ON APPROVAL OF THE
SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT TO THE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN:
Housing and Community Development Commission
June 16, 2025
Page 3 of 5
Thul stated the next document is called the Citizen Participation Plan which is a HUD requirement that
guides how cities gain input for planning documents. It directs things like when staff brings things to
HCDC and how long the public comment period should be. Again, this updates is technically called a
substantial amendment to the plan that was last updated in 2020. They try to do a general update every
five years with the consolidated planning process. With this amendment they are modernizing the
methods of input, they are ensuring consistency with current regulations, adding provisions for disasters
and emergencies, increasing the clarity and the input for the approval process for each plan and any
associated amendments. Thul acknowledged the process for input is generally the same, but this
amendment is breaking out each plan to add clarity. Additionally, it makes clear that staff will attempt
input from HCDC but that staff would proceed with the process if a Commission meeting is canceled. If
there are deadlines for plans staff needs to be able to proceed with the process to submit on time.
Krotz asked if citizens can come to the City Council meeting and present thoughts. Thul stated yes and
for example, with the substantial amendment for the last item the Commission just reviewed, the City
starts a public comment period where they'll announce it in the Press Citizen and online. Then they do a
30 day public comment period. People can submit comments in writing to staff, they could submit
comments to the clerk's office, they can come to this HCDC meeting and make a public comment, and
they can come to City Council and make a public comment there, so there's several different ways that
someone can have their input incorporated. Staff would accept written input like a mailed letter as well.
Kiche asked is there a restriction on the place where a public meeting would be conducted. Thul noted
they try to do most of the meetings like this at City Hall, but when they do the public input process for City
Steps, that does have additional requirements on where they can hold the public input meetings. At least
one of the meetings needs to be in a neighborhood of Iowa City where at least 50% of residents have low
to moderate income. For public input initiatives of that scale they also try to hold meetings in different
locations and at different times to try to get as much feedback as possible.
Kiche asked if there is usually some communication with the community organizations in form of writing to
their leaders. Thul replied that yes, during that public input process staff really relies on the nonprofit
community. They are super helpful in distributing flyers and getting people to do the surveys. When the
City did the public meetings for City Steps 2030, they partnered with agencies like Neighborhood Centers
of Johnson County to hold meetings at the Broadway and Pheasant Ridge Centers.
Vogel asked what the requirements on a minor versus a substantial amendment is, he understands a
minor amendment means there doesn't need to be any public input, but in a substantial amendment
situation there would be a requirement for public input. He knows a lot of the minor ones are where
CDBG/HOME funds can get applied to something else or a program gets canceled and they don't have to
have a whole series of public input for that. So, when something becomes a substantial amendment,
what is that process? Is it one or two public meetings and do they have to go through the whole public
comment process all over again? Thul stated a substantial amendment takes a little bit more time and it's
not something that would happen quickly. The amendment process is less intense than developing the
development of the full five-year plan, but it still takes a meeting of the HCDC and then a City Council
meeting to get a substantial amendment approved. There is a list of things in the Citizen Participation
Plan explaining what is substantial and what is administrative. Thul continued to say that staff retain the
ability to bring amendments forward to a public meeting or to HCDC if they feel it's something that needs
input even if it is considered administrative.
Dennis moved to recommend approval of the substantial amendment to the Citizen Participation
Plan to City Council. Kiche seconded the motion, a vote was taken and it passed 6-0.
Housing and Community Development Commission
June 16, 2025
Page 4 of 5
STAFF & COMMISSION UPDATES:
Thul noted that at a previous meeting someone had asked about narrative accomplishments for Aid to
Agencies project so Sam Turnbull, the City's Grants Specialist, prepared a memo which was included in
the packet. They also included the 2024 Neighborhood and Development Services Annual Report. Thul
also noted the Council passed the amendment to the by-laws and that they all have received a copy of
the newly revised by-laws.
Thul announced that the FY26 Non -Legacy Aid to Agencies application opened today. Applications will be
due July 16 at noon.
Krotz noted they have a couple of Commissioners whose terms expire at the end of this month and
wondered if there were any updates? Thul stated new Commissioner appointments are on the City
Council agenda for tomorrow and noted that Dennis has reapplied for the Commission, but Borgen has
not. Vogel thanked Borgen for his service and commitment.
Kivarkis noted he's been offered a career opportunity in the city of Chicago, and unfortunately his
permanent residence in Iowa City will be expiring August 1 and he will be forced to resign from the
Commission. He wanted to take a moment to thank the City staff and the entire Commission as it's been
an honor working them during his limited time on HCDC, he generally feels that he learned a lot and that
they were able to make their process a little more efficient. He is happy with the direction they moved in
his time on the Commission.
Kiche congratulated Kivarkis and said that it has been encouraging to have a young person and a student
as a role model on the Commission.
Borgen thanked staff and City Council for the opportunity to serve. He hopes that there will continue to be
Latino representation on the Commission. He feels that is important for the Latino community in Iowa
City.
Thul thanked Borgen and Kivarkis for their service to the Commission. She also noted that they hope to
see Dennis back in July, but just in case she also wanted to say thank you to Dennis for her service as
well.
Thul noted sometimes the Commission takes a summer break and asked if Commissioners would like to
meet July 21. All decided they would be willing to meet.
Vogel would like to have a future agenda item about the start times for HCDC meetings. He asked if a
5:30 meeting start would be difficult for people or would everyone be willing to change? Commissioners
agreed.
Krotz asked how much advanced notice they need to give to the public that the meeting times are
changing.
Thul stated they would put it on the next agenda for discussion and a vote. The next meeting would still
be at 6:30, but it could change after that if approved.
ADJOURNMENT:
Dennis moved to adjourn, Krotz seconded the motion and a vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0.
29
Housing and Community Development Commission
June 16, 2025
Page 5 of 5
Housing and Community
Development Commission
Attendance Record 2024-2025
Name
Terms Exp.
3121
4118
5116
6/13
8119
9116
10121
3124
4121
5119
6116
--
--
--
--
A
A
P
A
A
D
D
Balde, Daouda
6/30/27
A
A
P
P
P
A
A
P(zoom)
P
A
P
Borgen, Horacio
6/30/25
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
Dennis, Maryann
6/30/25
Kiche, Amos
6/30/25
--
--
--
--
P
P
A
P
P
P
P
Kivarkis, George
6/30/27
(zoom)
A
A
P
P
A
P
P
A
A
P
P
Krotz, Karol
6/30/27
A
A
P
P
P
P
P
Patel, Kiran
6/30/26
A
P
P
P
A
P
A
Pierce, James
6/30/26
P
P
P
A
P
A
p
Szecsei, Denise
6/30/25
P
P
A
A
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
Vogel, Kyle
6/30/26
Key:
P = Present
A = Absent
* = Resigned
-- = Vacant
D = Discharged
Item Number: 4.e.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
August 5, 2025
Library Board of Trustees: May 22
Attachments: Library Board of Trustees: May 22
Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees
Meeting Minutes
May 22, 2025
2nd Floor — Boardroom
Regular Meeting - 5:00 PM
FINAL
Tom Rocklin - President Bonnie Boothroy Robin Paetzold
DJ Johnk — Vice President Joseph Massa John Raeburn
Hannah Shultz -Secretary Claire Matthews Dan Stevenson
Members Present: DJ Johnk, Robin Paetzold, John Raeburn, Hannah Shultz, Dan Stevenson.
Members Absent: Bonnie Boothroy, Joseph Massa, Claire Matthews, Tom Rocklin.
Staff Present: Anne Mangano, Jason Paulios, Angie Pilkington, Jen Royer.
Guests Present: Jackson Edens, Pastor Doyle Landry, Kelcey Patrick -Ferree.
Call Meeting to Order. Johnk called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm. A quorum was present.
Approval of May 22, 2025 Board Meeting Agenda. Raeburn made a motion to approve
the May 22, 2025 Board Meeting Agenda. Paetzold seconded. Motion passed 5/0.
Public Discussion. Pastor Doyle Landry spoke about black mental health and the importance of
advancing literacy, especially amongst black families. Doyle distributed a Chicago Public Library calendar
of events. He introduced Jackson Edens.
Patrick -Ferree entered the meeting at 5:03 pm.
Edens spoke on the importance of work ethic, mentorship, and extracurricular activities to create bonds
between different generations.
Landry and Edens exited the meeting at 5:07 pm.
Items to be Discussed.
Review and Consider Adoption of FY26 Wage Resolution. Mangano said the tentative agreement
last month was finalized with a 2.75% across the board wage increase and was approved by City Council.
Raeburn asked what would happen if the Board didn't approve it. Mangano said as a semi -autonomous
board they sent a management representative to negotiate. Paetzold made a motion to approve the
FY26 wage resolution. Shultz seconded. Motion passed 5/0.
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contactlen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or iennifer-royer@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
Policy Review: 809 Library Use Policy. Shultz made a motion to approve the Library Use Policy
revisions. Paetzold seconded. Motion passed 5/0.
Mangano asked if it was useful to have the draft policy without the markups included in the packet.
Shultz and Paetzold agreed.
Policy Review: 814 Copyright. Paulios led the review committee and said there was a sizeable
committee and language was tweaked. Paetzold noted a technology change. Paetzold made a motion
to approve the Copyright policy revision. Stevenson seconded. Motion passed 5/0.
Policy Discussion: 101 Bylaws. Johnk asked for feedback on the current policy for needed revisions.
Mangano said it needs to go through legal as section six notes information about committees.
Mangano said a new interpretation of open records law requires meetings of committees to be open to
the public and have minutes. The Library Board needs to determine if they want to continue to have
committees. Paetzold asked if standing committees were specified, and said there had been discussion
about no longer having that structure. Stevenson said they are not listed, and the practice can be
advisory. Paetzold said should the committee need to meet ever arise, as long as the city attorney
advises, the Board could do that. Mangano said she believed so, and also believed legal would want the
word committee changed if its functions do. Paetzold suggested removing the section altogether.
Shultz noted section one states, members of the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation consists
solely of the trustees of the Iowa City Library. Shultz asked if it is true. Paetzold said the wording around
the Friends Foundation relationship is convoluted. Mangano said this is good timing as the Board will be
renewing the MOU with the Friends Foundation. Paetzold asked Mangano if she would come back in a
month with a recommendation on wording. Mangano agreed.
Shultz said a big reason the bylaws were adjusted a few years ago was due to changes in state law
about meetings in person. Shultz assumed that is still correct but thought it would be good to review.
Mangano agreed. Shultz said it was under article five, meetings. Mangano said it was under electronic
participation.
Johnk questioned if meeting on Thursdays at 5 pm was the right time and might limit participation from
certain demographics. Paetzold suggested allowing the new trustees to review meeting times. Johnk
agreed. Paetzold noted the time should also work for the public to speak to trustees. Johnk agreed.
Stevenson said library staff should also be considered.
Staff Reports.
Interim Director's Report. Mangano gave an update on state library priorities and shared they sent an
email to libraries about the removal of the foundation directory, access to OCLC FirstSearch, access to
Brainfuse, and changing the Iowa Shares delivery from two days a week to one. Mangano said there is
no end date for the two day per week deliveries from Iowa Shares but shared the databases will be gone
in July. Mangano said Brainfuse may continue because Iowa Workforce Development might offer it.
Johnk liked the intellectual freedom statement and said it was wonderful. Mangano said it was designed
by our Graphic Designer, Eric. Mangano showed the statement handout and shared it was available at
public service desks and outreach sites. Mangano said it is also framed in the lobby near the trustee
picture.
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contactlen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or iennifer-royer@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
Mangano shared she received and signed the Enrich Iowa agreement. Mangano shared the library will
get state aid but we don't yet know how much. Mangano said she had shared information about trustee
appointments also.
Departmental Reports: Adult Services. Paulios said last night was the Downtown District's annual
meeting. Paulios attended and said there were many other nonprofits, local government, and city
council members. The Downtown District is getting ready for SSMID renewal, their funding source,
which needs to go out for petition. The next ten years will be covered by this renewal. Paulios said in
July he will be President of the Downtown District Board. Paetzold congratulated Paulios.
Paulios said the Browsing Party is on Friday. The ICPL house band will be playing and it's the launch of
the Adult and Teen Summer Reading Program. The following Saturday there will be a kickoff to summer
reading for kids. Paulios shared many staff are available to support the party. Mangano said last year
there were several hundred people in attendance. Pilkington said the summer reading program starts
Tuesday, May 27.
Community & Access Services. Helmick absent. Mangano said the seed library is very popular. Paulios
said it is stored in the old microfilm storage cabinet. Paetzold asked what is needed to sustain the
program. Paulios said staff have yet to ask for community seeds, noting there is a robust gardening
community in Iowa City. Paetzold asked if it would be self-sustaining. Pilkington said that is the hope,
and shared the seeds were donated. Mangano said a couple community partners helped gather seeds
and we can use those relationships. Paetzold noted Master Gardeners weren't used. Paulios shared staff
Librarian, Beth Fisher, is a Master Gardener. Mangano said the seed library's first day had several people
come in to use it, noting patrons had discovered it through community partners. Paulios said we can
harvest the flower garden seeds from the Teen Garden for it, and potentially vegetables too. Johnk said
that would be the ultimate way to be self-sustaining.
Pilkington said the Bookmobile will go on its annual one -week hiatus next week from June 2r,d through
the 6t". Pilkington said it will be back downtown for ABC Day.
Development Report. Roche absent. Johnk said the support through Great Give Day was enormous.
President's Report. None.
Announcements from Members. None.
Foundation Updates. None.
Advocacy Updates. None.
Communications.
News Articles. None.
Consent Agenda. Paetzold made a motion to approve the consent agenda. Shultz seconded.
Motion passed 5/0.
Set Agenda Order for June Meeting. Johnk said the June meeting agenda will have the
Bylaw policy review, Circulation and Library Card policy review, Lobby Use policy review, NOBU budget
request, and the Corporate Friends meeting will begin at 5. Mangano said the Library Board meeting will
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Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or iennifer-royer@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
begin at 5:05 PM.
Adjournment. Johnk adjourned the meeting at 5:28 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jen Royer
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Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or iennifer-rover@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
,AW* IOWA CITY
sF-IW PUBLIC LIBRARY
Board of Commissions: ICPL Board of Trustees
Attendance Record
Name
Term
Expiration
7/25/2024
8122/2024
9126/2024
10/24/2024
11/21/2024
12/19/2024
1/2312025
2/27/2025
3/27/2025
4/3/2025
4/24/2025
5/22/2025
6/26/2025
Boothroy, Bonnie
6/30/2029
OE
OE
X
X
X
X
OF
X
X
X
X
OE
X
Johnk DJ
6/30/2025
X
X
X
X
X
OF
OE
X
X
OE
X
X
OE
Massa, Jose h
6/30/2027
X
X
X
X
OE
X
X
X
X
X
X
OE
X
Matthews, Claire
6/30/2023
X
OE
X
X
X
O
X
X
X
X
X
OE
O
Paetzold, Robin
6/30/2023
OE
X
X
X
X
OE
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Raeburn John
6/30/202Z
X
X
OE
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Rocklin, Tom
6/30/2025
X
X
OF
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
OE
X
Shultz Hannah
6/30/2025
X
X
X
X
X
X
OE
X
OE
X
X
X
X
Stevenson Daniel
6/30/2027
X
X
X
OE
X
X
X
X
OF
X
X
X
OE
KEY:
X Present
O Absent
OF Excused Absence
NM No Meeting Held
R Resigned
TE Term Expired
Item Number: 4.f.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
August 5, 2025
Library Board of Trustees: June 26
Attachments: Library Board of Trustees: June 26
Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees
Meeting Minutes
June 26, 2025
2nd Floor — Boardroom
Regular Meeting - 5:00 PM
FINAL
Tom Rocklin - President Bonnie Boothroy Robin Paetzold
DJ Johnk — Vice President Joseph Massa John Raeburn
Hannah Shultz -Secretary Claire Matthews Dan Stevenson
Members Present: Bonnie Boothroy, DJ Johnk, Joseph Massa, Robin Paetzold, John Raeburn, Tom
Rocklin, Hannah Shultz.
Members Absent: Claire Matthews, Dan Stevenson.
Staff Present: Anne Mangano, Jason Paulios, Jen Royer.
Guests Present: Ratan Birla, Kelcy Patrick -Ferree, Corey Schweigel-Skeers.
Call Meeting to Order. Rocklin called the meeting to order at 5:00 PM. A quorum was present.
Approval of June 26, 2025, Board Meeting Agenda. Shultz made a motion to approve
the June 26, 2025, agenda. Raeburn seconded. Motion passed 6/0.
Public Discussion. Rocklin asked Patrick -Ferree & Schweigel-Skeers to introduce themselves as
incoming trustees in July.
Items to be Discussed.
Policy Review: 801 Circulation and Library Card. Rocklin noted no changes were proposed to the
policy. Mangano said Sam Helmick led the review committee and they decided they wanted to go
forward with the policy as written. Mangano said this policy comes up for review every three years or
earlier if needed.
Raeburn asked for clarification on age restrictions with the student Access to Information and Materials
(AIM) card and stated that section F of 801.1 was not clear and may conflict with the language in 801.19.
Raeburn made suggestions for changes to section F, providing specific restrictions for the AIM card.
Rocklin asked what kind of limitations exist with the memorandum of understanding with the school
district. Mangano said students can access three print materials at any time, students are not liable for
losses (the library absorbs the loss), and students have access to some of digital materials, such as Libby
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 319-887-6003 or iennifer-rayer�2icoLorg, Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
and Kanopy, based on existing vendor contracts. Rocklin said the restrictions are not content based.
Raeburn said this wasn't clear when reading the policy and Rocklin agreed it was obscure as it refers to
the memorandum of agreement. Paetzold asked if the terms of the agreement change, should the
policy be as specific, noting trustees would need to update it every time the terms or MOU adjusted.
Paetzold noted the MOU has limits on what can be checked out with AIM cards and they come from the
school system. Raeburn said the library is the enforcer of these rules and it needs to be clear in the
policy. Paetzold said things have changed over time with state laws and rules about minors. There was
discussion about limitations with the AIM card. Mangano said students can check out anything in the
library in a print format. Paetzold asked if the AIM card was a point of contention with legislation
regarding school districts. Mangano stated it was discussed, but the school district says the card is 'opt
in' by the parents or guardians at the point of registration. Mangano said the AIM cards are issued
through the Iowa City Community School District and can be used at several local libraries, including
North Liberty and Coralville. Mangano said other school districts outside of our jurisdiction partner with
their local libraries, noting Cedar Rapids Public Library has a program with their school district as well.
Birla entered the meeting at 5:08 PM.
Shultz said the policy should be left as it is worded. Shultz reasoned if the MOU were to change, the
current policy wouldn't need updating.
Raeburn asked what At Home service is. Mangano explained it is a service patrons can sign up for if they
are unable to come into the Library or Bookmobile and materials will be mailed to them. Mangano said
return postage is also sent so patrons can mail the materials back. Raeburn asked about At Home cards
and self -registration cards. Raeburn noted there is language in the policy that isn't plain language and
emphasized the importance of making sure the language is clear to everyone. Mangano explained self -
registration cards are when patrons sign up for a library card online. Patrons are given temporary access
to check out library materials until proof of address has been confirmed in person.
Raeburn noted on page 6 there is language that refers to a service model ending with 'landscape
analysis of community health'. Raeburn asked what that meant. Rocklin said it is in 801.17. Mangano
thought it was language added during COVID. Raeburn proposed replacing 'landscape analysis' with
'according to protocols of community health.' Paetzold asked if it was limited only to health
emergencies in the community.
Johnk entered the meeting at 5:13 PM.
Rocklin asked if trustees would agree to remove the phrase 'landscape analysis of community health'
when approving the policy and there was consensus. Massa made a motion to approve policy 801
Circulation Library Card with the removal of landscape analysis. Shultz seconded. Motion passed 6/0,
Johnk abstained.
Policy Review: 806 Meeting Room and Lobby Use. Rocklin said this policy is also proposed with no
changes. Mangano said there was an extensive policy revision in 2021, and it was reviewed again a year
later in 2022. Boothroy made a motion to approve policy 806 Meeting Room and Lobby Use. Johnk
seconded. Motion passed 7/0.
Raeburn suggested one change to 806.17, changing the word 'rules' to 'means'. Rocklin asked if there
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or enni er-ra r is Lor . Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
was any opposition to changing the word rules to means. There was none. Rocklin said by acclimation
the policy was adopted.
Adopt NOW Budget. Rocklin said the next item was to adopt the non -operating budget, which is used
to pay for operating expenses but is the non -city budget. Rocklin said the Library Board has a great deal
of discretion as to how that money is used. Mangano said the operating budget is set for FY26, and the
Board is being asked to look at the non -operating budget priorities for FY26. Mangano said it is a large
request noting ICPL agreed to cover some funds for the CIP carpet replacement and the second half of
the building consultant. Mangano shared she asked to tap into two reserve funds on the NOBU request,
the balance of Enrich Iowa COVID money (the state removed the obligation to spend the funds in that
fiscal year due to COVID) and the balance of the interest account. Prior to 2018 interest accrued on gifts
and bequests from the Foundation were saved in the interest account. Since 2018 the interest has been
kept with the gifts and bequests.
Paetzold asked if the library uses the reserve accounts what would be available in a facility emergency.
Mangano said the library would be okay. Paetzold said little bits of money help when there are bedbugs
or sewage backups. Mangano said the library is in a secure place with gift accounts, and an updated
balance will be available in September.
Raeburn asked how the Friends Foundation gift is calculated. Mangano said there is a memorandum of
understanding provided each year by the Foundation. Mangano said the Foundation will increase the
gift by 2.5% for the next five years, and the new MOU will be available next month. Rocklin said trustees
would be spending down money that won't get refilled, but noted these are one-time expenses and he
was comfortable with that. Mangano said they are investments in the future. Shultz made a motion to
approve the NOBU budget. Johnk seconded. Motion passed 7/0.
Staff Reports.
Interim Director's Report. Mangano noted the discussion on administrative policies in the report.
Mangano said as part of the interim period she's looking at updating procedural policies. Mangano
noted the library is a couple versions behind the City of Iowa City Purchasing Policy, and that is an easy
thing to update. Mangano said the Library Board's Finance policy states that the library adopts the
current purchasing policies of the city. Mangano noted there are other city policies that are
administrative that ICPL has not adopted. Mangano said there are good reasons for that, including
board autonomy and library confidentiality. Mangano asked the Board for their guidelines or philosophy
when she's approaching City policy adoption. Mangano outlined a few considerations in her report such
as board autonomy and patron rights to access materials and services, but also noted the importance of
following best practices with the experts at the city. Mangano said it is very difficult to receive advice
from experts at the city when we have different policies than them.
Rocklin said at various points as Board President he consulted with HR and legal. Rocklin stated it would
make sense to have policies in place so that Mangano can say my board wants me to follow your
policies, can you advise me on how to do that. Paetzold noted there are times when the library isn't
going to follow their policies. Rocklin agreed, noting the importance of protecting board autonomy, but
said there are times when we don't need a separate policy from the city such as the purchasing policy.
Paetzold said we do need to put purchasing through a different approval channel. Paetzold said the
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contactlen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 379-887-6003 orlennifer-royer@icoLora. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
purchasing policy came up this month when looking at signing a contract, and our ceilings were
different, and we were frozen because of it. Paetzold said there are benefits but is cautious to say the
library would use city policies as a whole. Paetzold gave the example of setting salaries, where trustees
have greater autonomy. Rocklin said policy would need to be reviewed policy by policy. Mangano said
for the purchasing policy we have language we could put at the beginning of the document outlining
our approval process: when it lists City Council, it's Library Board, when it lists City Manager, it is Library
Director. Massa said when we're discussing finance policy what does that mean as it is very broad.
Mangano said the Board has a Finance policy that discusses the different funds and the authority the
Board has over them. Mangano said the purchasing policy states when to make a request for proposals
(RFP), when to only ask for quotes, who has authority to make purchases at certain dollar amounts, etc.
Massa said every city policy is going to go through the city attorney. Massa felt library HR policies
should mirror city HR policies, noting employment law changes frequently. Paetzold asked if they should
mirror or be parallel. Paetzold said it is important the Library Director is not under a political structure.
Rocklin liked Mangano's suggestion of substituting Library Director for City Manager where appropriate
so it would be a parallel policy to the city with minor tweaks.
Boothroy noted the second bullet in the list of considerations seems to be in a slightly different
category. Boothroy asked Mangano to explain her thought in listing protecting patron rights to access
materials and library services. Mangano said she was thinking mainly about IT infrastructure, noting the
library has its IT department very separate from the city. Mangano said public computers are the
library's and are not under the same network as the police.
Mangano noted the library is normally open for the Downtown Block Party and due to staffing needs,
the library would be closing at 6 pm. Paetzold asked if the facilities staff would have restrooms closed
and Mangano agreed.
Mangano said there will be changes to the State Historical Society Library in Iowa City, moving to an
"appointment only" system beginning July 9th. Mangano is anticipating a full closure of that facility, and
the collection moving to Des Moines. Mangano said the State Historical Society Library has been open
to the public in Iowa City before there was an Iowa City Public Library. Mangano said ICPL staff refer
patrons there for research regularly, it has a rich collection of Johnson County and Iowa City history and
will be a huge loss. Rocklin wondered if there were any local history items that could be moved to ICPL.
Mangano said there has been no discussion, but staff could ask for a response on what will happen with
the collection items. Mangano said ICPL has not developed a local history collection because the State
Historical Society Library was in Iowa City. Massa asked if other libraries carry local history or if ICPL is
unique because of its location to the state library. Mangano said quite a few libraries maintain local
history collections. Massa felt that might be desirable. Paetzold asked if items might belong to the
county historical society, noting they might be more skilled at preservation. Mangano said the ICPL
building, staff, and collection policy are not currently set up for maintain historical documents. Rocklin
said it would be a whole new service. Paetzold said the concern is the human labor cost. Rocklin said it is
hard to imagine what could be given up in order to do that.
Mangano said three new board members were oriented.
Mangano said Sam Helmick will be inaugurated as ALA President on Monday, with a community
I f you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contactJen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or jenniAr-royer@icpLoo. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
celebratory event at ICPL on Wednesday, July 23rd.
Departmental Reports: Children's Services. Pilkington absent. Johnk said the Lucha Libre event was a
good idea. Mangano said there were 300 kids who attended the reptile program that morning and
another 125 for the afternoon showing.
Collection Services. Rocklin thanked Paul Bethke. Paetzold asked who would be replacing him on the
Bookmobile. Mangano said the hire has not been made yet.
IT. Palmer absent. Rocklin shared interest in tabletop exercise and said it was a good thing to do.
Development Report. Roche absent. Rocklin said he was excited that Bright Future 2026 has been
scheduled. Johnk shared the book sale having vinyl for sale was awesome. Johnk asked if ICPL has
considered adding vinyl to the library collection. Mangano said it was discussed, but the collection
maintenance is a barrier.
President's Report. Rocklin said the Library Bylaws have references to committee meetings, and at
the time of the last policy revision committee meetings weren't considered a public body that needed to
hold open meetings. Rocklin said that understanding has changed and the Bylaws need to reflect this.
Rocklin said right now the Board is transitioning and it isn't the best time to do a Bylaw review. Rocklin
said there is nothing in the Bylaws until January or February that says the President shall appoint a
committee, so there is some time. Rocklin would recommend that as something for the Board to take on
in the fall.
Rocklin said he was pleased to be part of the orientation of the new board members and that Mangano
did a great job. Rocklin shared there will be three great new colleagues to work with. Rocklin expressed
appreciation for serving as President and for his time on the Library Board. Rocklin shared he learned a
lot, met members of the community he would not have, and has a new concept of what libraries are
even after being a lifetime user.
Announcements from Members.
Foundation Updates. None.
Advocacy Updates. None.
Johnk expressed a heartfelt thanks. Johnk was proud of the past six years' work, and for being in a room
with so many strong and inspirational people. Johnk said the work that is done at ICPL is remarkable.
Boothroy thanked Johnk, Rocklin, & Shultz for their service and years of work for the Library Board.
Communications.
News Articles. None.
Consent Agenda. Shultz made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Johnk seconded. Motion
passed 7/0.
Set Agenda Order for July Meeting. Rocklin said the July meeting will include the trustees
corporate meeting, a strategic plan update, the Board of Trustees Annual Report, the MOU between the
Friends Foundation and Library, and departmental reports. Paetzold suggested moving the Board of
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 379-887-6003 orlennifer-roger �+ irD[.arp. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
Trustees Annual Report to August as it wasn't solicited in June. Mangano said staff can provide a draft
for the Board to review and proposed adding it to July and August agendas. There was agreement.
Adjournment. Rocklin adjourned the meeting at 5:42 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Jen Royer
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contactlen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or jean&r-roger@O1,org_ Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
a,�t IOWA CITY
*W PUBLIC LIBRARY
Board of Commissions: ICPL Board of Trustees
Attendance Record
ame
Tr8122/2024
Expirationion
9/2612024
10124/2024
121/2024
5
7/24202N
/5
Boothro . Bonnie_
6/30/2029
OF
—
X
X
X
OF
X
X
X
X
OF
X
X
Johnk. DJ
6/30/2025
X
X
X
OF
OF
X
X
OF
X
X
OF
TE
Massa. Jose h
6/30/2027
X
X
OF E
X
X
X
X
X
X
OF
X
X
Matthews. Claire
6/30/2023
OF
X
X
O
X
X
X
X
X
OF
O
X
Paetzold. Robin
6/35/2023
X
X
OF
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Patrick -Ferree, Kelce
6130/2031
X
Raeburn, John
6/30/2027
X
OF
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Roc.klin. Tom
6/30/2025
X
OF
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
OF
X
TE
Schweinel-Skeers, Cory
6/30/2031
X
Shultz. Hannah
6/30/2025
X
X
X
X
X
OF
X
of
X
X
X
X
TE
Stevenson. Daniel
6/30/2027
X
X
OF
X
X
X
X
OE
X
X
X
OF
X
Strong, Kalmia
6/30/2031
X
KEY:
X Present
O Absent
OF Excused Absence
NM No Meeting Held
R Resigned
TE Term Expired
Item Number: 4.g.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
August 5, 2025
Parks & Recreation Commission: May 14
Attachments: Parks & Recreation Commission: May 14
IOWA CITY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED
MINUTES OF MAY 14, 2025
ROBERT A. LEE RECREATION CENTER — MEETING ROOM B
Members Present: Connie Moore, Brian Morelli, Missie Forbes, Michael Gaunt, Rachel
McPherson, Alex Stanton
Members Absent: Virginia Hayes, Jeff Mallory, Caleb Recker
Staff Present: Tyler Baird, Gabe Gotera, Chris O'Brien
Others Present: John Morelli, Nancy Morelli, Mayor Bruce Teague, City Council Member
Oliver Weilein
CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Moore called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council
action):
None
OTHER FORMAL ACTION:
Moved by Stanton, seconded by Gaunt, to approve the April 9, 2025, minutes. Motion
passed 5-0 (Haves, McPherson, Mallory, and Recker absent).
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None
Commissioner McPherson arrives at 5:04 p.m.
COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS:
Commissioner McPherson asks for help from either the Commission or department staff with
collaborating ideas for how to make the interpretive sign at James Alan McPherson Park (JAM).
Supt. Baird gives context that the interpretive sign would be made for the park's namesake,
essayist and author, James Alan McPherson. McPherson says that the goal is to make the sign
informational and engaging to the public while remaining within the sign's word limit. Chair
Moore says that she would like to see it as a future agenda item. Moore is interested in signage at
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
May 14, 2025
Page 2 of 3
parks named after a person that would explain who they were and why there were chosen for the
park's namesake. Vice Chair Morelli asks if there is a deadline for the JAM Park interpretive
sign. McPherson responds that ideally; the sign would've been complete two years prior.
Supt. Baird says that the City of Iowa City is updating the long-range Comprehensive Plan and
that the consultant group, Confluence, is wanting to include one member of the Parks and
Recreation Commission in a stakeholder interview. Baird asks if there is a commission member
that is interested in volunteering for this interview. Commissioner Gaunt volunteers to attend the
stakeholder interview.
PARK TOUR — Superintendent Tyler Baird
At 5:10 p.m. the Commission members along with City staff, Mayor Teague, Councilor Weilein,
and members of the public boarded the bus to go on the parks tour. The parks that were included
in the tour are the following:
• College Green Park — 600 E College Street
• Hickory Hill Park: East Entrance — 643 N 1st Avenue
• Calder Park — 2831 Hickory Trail
• North Market Square Park — 600 Fairchild Street
• Brookland Park — 550 Greenwood Drive
• Adelaide Joy Rogers Park — 1001 Shannon Drive
ADJOURNMENT:
Meeting/tour adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
May 14, 2025
Page 3 of 3
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
ATTENDANCE RECORD
NAME
N
o
N
0
N
0
N
0
N
0
N
0
N
0
N
0
N
0
N
0
N
0
N
0
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
TERM
EXPIRES
Missie
12/31/25
NM
X
O/E
X
NM
O/E
NM
X
NM
X
X
X
Forbes
Michael
12/31/28
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
X
NM
X
X
X
Gaunt
Virginia
12/31/27
NM
X
X
O/E
NM
O/E
NM
X
NM
X
X
O/E
Hayes
Jeff
12/31/28
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
X
NM
X
X
O/E
Mallory
Rachel
12/31/26
NM
X
O/E
O/E
NM
X
NM
O/E
NM
X
O/E
X
McPherson
Connie
12/31/25
NM
X
X
X
NM
X
NM
X
NM
X
X
X
Moore
Brian
12/31/25
NM
X
X
X
NM
X
NM
X
NM
X
X
X
Morelli
Caleb
12/31/26
NM
X
O/E
X
NM
X
NM
X
NM
X
O/E
O/E
Recker
Alex
12/31/27
NM
O/E
X
X
NM
X
NM
O/E
NM
X
X
X
Stanton
KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting
LQ = No meeting due to lack of quorum * = Not a member during this meeting
Item Number: 4.h.
a
CITY OF IOWA CITY
"QF T-4 COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
August 5, 2025
Planning & Zoning Commission: July 2 [See Recommendation]
Attachments: Planning & Zoning Commission: July 2 [See Recommendation]
r
��_..® CITY OF IOWA CITY
MEMORANDUM
Date: July 17, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anne Russett, Senior Planner
Re: Recommendations from the Planning and Zoning Commission
At its July 2, 2025 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission have the following
recommendation to the City Council:
By a vote of 7-0 the Commission recommends setting a public hearing for July 16, 2025 on a
proposed amendment to change the Comprehensive Plan future land use map from Office
Research Development Center to General Commercial, Mixed Use, and Public/Private Open
Space for approximately 57 acres of property.
Additional action (check one)
No further action needed
Board or Commission is requesting Council direction
_X_ Agenda item will be prepared by staff for Council action
MINUTES FINAL
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
J U LY 2, 2025 — 6:00 PM —FORMAL MEETING
E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kaleb Beining, James Davies, Maggie Elliott, Steve Miller, Scott
Quellhorst, Billie Townsend, Chad Wade
MEMBERS ABSENT:
STAFF PRESENT: Anne Russett, Liz Craig, Alex Bright
OTHERS PRESENT:
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:
By a vote of 7-0 the Commission recommends setting a public hearing for July 16, 2025 on a
proposed amendment to change the Comprehensive Plan future land use map from Office
Research Development Center to General Commercial, Mixed Use, and Public/Private Open
Space for approximately 57 acres of property.
CALL TO ORDER:
Quellhorst called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM and welcomed the two new members of the
Commission, Beining and Davies.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEMS:
CASE NO. CPA25-0001:
Location: South of 1-80 and east of N. Dodge Street
A request to set a public hearing for July 16, 2025 on a proposed amendment to change the
Comprehensive Plan future land use map from Office Research Development Center to General
Commercial, Mixed Use, and Public/Private Open Space for approximately 57 acres of property.
Elliott moved to recommend setting a public hearing for July 16, 2025 on a proposed
amendment to change the Comprehensive Plan future land use map from Office Research
Development Center to General Commercial, Mixed Use, and Public/Private Open Space
for approximately 57 acres of property.
Townsend seconded the motion.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 7-0.
CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: JUNE 18 2025:
Elliott moved to approve the meeting minutes from June 18, 2025. Townsend seconded the
motion, a vote was taken and the motion passed 7-0.
Planning and Zoning Commission
July 2, 2025
Page 2 of 3
PLANNING AND ZONING INFORMATION:
None.
ADJOURNMENT:
Townsend moved to adjourn, Beining seconded and the motion passed 7-0.
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION
ATTENDANCE RECORD
2024-2025
1/17
2/7
2/21
4/3
5/1
6/26
9/4
9/18
11/20
12/4
2/19
3/5
5/7
6/4
6/18
7/2
BEINING, KALEB
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
X
DAVIES, JAMES
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
X
CRAIG, SUSAN
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
-- --
ELLIOTT, MAGGIE
X
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
HENSCH, MIKE
X
X
I X
X
X
X
I O/E
X
X
X
X
I O/E
X
X
X
----
MILLER, STEVE
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
PADRON, MARIA
X
X
X
O/E
O/E
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
QUELLHORST, SCOTT
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
TOWNSEND, BILLIE
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
WADE, CHAD
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
KEY:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
--- = Not a Member